1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus for still or motion picture presentations and more particularly relates to a novel film projection and presentation apparatus providing the illusion of a continuous picture on a composite circular screen.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
It has been a conventional practice in the motion picture industry to provide a seemingly continuous motion picture covering a circular field of 360.degree. by employing a plurality of curved screens arranged in a circle with the audience being located within the space encompassed by the screen. One or more film projectors are usually associated with each screen and the resulting plurality of projectors are sometimes disposed centrally of the screen or are disposed behind the screen for rear projection.
However, the central positioning of the projectors and presence of a projectionist seriously limits the amount of space available to accommodate an audience. Further, the space occupied by the centrally located projectors at the center of the screen is the optimum location for viewing the picture. The location of the projectors at the center of the viewing area also constitutes a serious source of disturbance to the audience because of the noise, light and heat attendant to the operation of the projector equipment.
To avoid the difficulties and problems attendant to centrally located projectors within the theatre, the motion picture industry has sometimes used a method or procedure known as "rear projection" according to which a still or moving picture is projected onto the backside of a translucent screen. This procedure has sometimes been found desirable since the projectors can be remotely located from the audience so that picture images can be projected on the reverse side of a translucent screen which can then be viewed from the front of the screen by the audience. This procedure also permits the screen to be used as a backdrop for settings during dramatic presentations so that actors performing in the drama can move about in front of the screen without interfering with the projection of images from the projector.
Generally, the plurality of curved screens in a conventional 360.degree. screening system are arranged in a side-by-side relationship whereby images projected from a plurality of projectors form continuous images along the blend lines where adjacent component images join. The employment of such a system necessitates that the films to be projected must be carefully matched with regards to color, action and timing which is expensive and time consuming. In the past, a serious viewing condition has been encountered when employing such systems which is known as "image distortion" that occurs in the areas of the composite images along the blend lines where adjacent component images join. This image distortion may be disproportionate change of image size either in the expansion or shrinkage, and uner extreme conditions there may be complete disappearance of an object during the passage through a blend area from one part of the component image to another. Also, under some circumstances, a bright streak will occur where the film images meet in the blend line due to overlapping or mismatching of film images causing double light exposure.
The difficulties and problems encountered with conventional projection and screening systems are obviated by the present invention which provides a film viewing arrangement for producing the effect or illusion that the spectator is actually in and surrounded by the environment depicted. For example, if the scene is of an underwater view in which people, fish and underwater flora are depicted, the spectator in his normal field of vision, will see the complete underwater scene on all sides and overhead, so as to produce the illusion that the spectator is actually under water, rather than merely looking at a picture of an underwater scene covering only a small portion of the normal field of vision. For dramatic effect, certain portions of the entire picture may be enlarged to show either detail of movement and emotions or perhaps facial expressions while the remaining portion of the complete picture is of a different and lesser image size. This dramatic effect is not possible by employing the teachings of the prior art. The present invention offers greater opportunities for creative film making and the broadening of dramatic scope due to its unique organization of separately controllable screens.
Therefore, a long standing need has existed to provide a motion picture taking and projection system which is compact physical arrangement and which provides improved picture resolution, particularly in the edge marginal regions of adjacent viewing images projected from separate images carried on a common film strip.